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INSIDE THIS EDITION: Good Customer Service is a Must Mom Say Happy Mother’s Day H.A.L.T. Encouragement & Greatness
May2014
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Content: carl townsend Gary Sullivan dean pruitt Sandy Mayberry Andrea Lewis shantae beverly designer: andrea lewis
agent of the month 5 good customer service is a must 6 mom 8 say Happy mother’s day 1o H.a.l.t. 12 encouragement & greatness 14 recipe and games outstanding performance 22
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prayer requests 23
featured
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Mom
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Encouragement & Greatness
No, Freedom Isn’t Free
by CDR Kelly Strong, USCG (Ret.)
I watched the flag pass by one day. It fluttered in the breeze. A young Marine saluted it, And then he stood at ease. I looked at him in uniform So young, so tall, so proud, With hair cut square and eyes alert He’d stand out in any crowd. I thought how many men like him Had fallen through the years. How many died on foreign soil? How many mothers’ tears? How many pilots’ planes shot down? How many died at sea? How many foxholes were soldiers’ graves? No, freedom isn’t free. I heard the sound of taps one night, When everything was still I listened to the bugler play And felt a sudden chill. I wondered just how many times That taps had meant “Amen,” When a flag had draped a coffin Of a brother or a friend. I thought of all the children, Of the mothers and the wives, Of fathers, sons and husbands With interrupted lives. I thought about a graveyard At the bottom of the sea Of unmarked graves in Arlington. No, freedom isn’t free. -4-
ISA ’s A
gent of the Month
My name is Rosemary Mendoza and I reside in Harlingen, TX with my 16 year old daughter. I have had the privilege to be part of the ISA family for almost two years now. It gives me great pleasure to serve a God who is willing to forgive our past, present, and future sins. Aside from my obligations here at ISA, I am currently studying for my Associates degree in Business Management. I am excited to state that I will be graduating this summer. I plan to pursue my education and with God’s grace obtain my Bachelor’s Degree in Business as well. My Philosophy is that I can add more incremental value to a company if I combine my past work experiences with my degree. I also enjoy spending time with my family, bicycling, and brisk walking. I enjoy life, nature, fishing, reading, and the great outdoors! God has truly blessed my life. Thank you Jesus! “Rosemary is a fabulous agent as well as person. She has excellent skill level, excellent attendance record,great attitude, and ALWAYS pitches in when we need help. She has always been a pleasure to work with and is a great asset to ISA and more importantly to our clients and to God. Truly an amazing agent.” — Gary Sullivan
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Good Customer
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hen I ordered a Christmas Gift from the JC Penny catalog I was told that I would get my son’s gift on December 24. Christmas Eve came and no gift. What was I going to do? Santa was coming in less than 12 hours. I had to do some major scrambling. Think about these examples that may arise in our business: A pastor calls to get a special message that he needs for this Sunday’s sermon or a Sunday school teacher needs the message for an upcoming Sunday school class. These situations are just as critical as my issue with the Christmas gift. Why do situations like this occur? Have you made promises that you can’t keep? Put yourself in the caller’s shoes, how frustrating is it when you need something but can’t get what you need or ordered? This is the number one sin of customer service. In order to help you deal with situations like these when they arise, adhere to the following guidelines: 1. Provide a sympathetic ear to the caller. Make him or her feel that you’re sorry that they are in this predicament. 2. If you can’t address their problem directly, offer a different solution: write everything down and send it to the account manager copying your supervisor on the email. Don’t let this customer’s issue go unaddressed. Assure the caller that they will get help and document the issue well. 3. Be kind to the caller. People sometimes vent when something goes wrong. Try to remember they aren’t complaining about you, -6-
Service is a Must! by
Carl Townsend
they are complaining about their situation. Take the person’s anger in stride -- never strike back . 4. Make sure that you always spell/verify the person’s name, address, phone number, order information, credit card number, and donation amount. Data entry is the number one reason for a customer service call. 5. Read your updates daily because changes occur constantly. Notifications on product order updates are critical. If you don’t read your e-mails then you could potentially be the cause of a customer service issue. -7-
Mom
by Dean Pruitt
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hen you Google the word “Mom” on the World Wide Web, you only get 259 million results. The word “Mother” populates a mere 356 million possibilities and the phrase “Mother’s Day” brings up over 492 million potential results. Why? Because NONE of us would be here without a mom! No matter how you call her; mom, mother, mommy, mum, mam, ma, mumsy, matriarch, mama, matron…the list is endless and no matter what name you use or language you use it in, she is celebrated the world over this month. Moms are vital to our existence, and not just because we could not
be born without her. It’s not just because we have twice chance of inheriting her dominant and recessive genes either. It’s so much simpler than genetics. It’s because we spend the first 9 months of our lives sharing the same heartbeat with her. For 270 days & nights we feel, taste, hear and experience every single thing she does. And then that moment comes, the moment that is foretold in Genesis of her having to experience pain to deliver us into this world. Yet if you ask any Godly mom, she will tell you, “It was all worth it!”
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The pain doesn’t end there for her. In spite of all she does to keep us safe with her very life and nurture us with her loving care, she has to endure more pain, as she has to watch us grow up. She has to let us experience all the things that we will have to face in life, some good and some bad, always being right there again to love us unconditionally and share our tears when we fail. Some of us are truly blessed to still have a mom like this. Unfortunately some of us don’t have our moms with
us any more or possibly never had the chance to experience these things. Please let me say, from the deepest part of my heart, I know how you feel. But Mother’s Day is to celebrate moms, and no mom is perfect. If you don’t have your mom to honor this Mother’s Day, I know that you know one that is worthy to be celebrated! Make your plans today to give back the selfless love that she has shown to others. Don’t miss the opportunity this Mother’s Day or any day of the year!
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Say Happy Mother’s Day! Want to know how to call mom in about 100 different languages? NOW YOU CAN.
Afrikaans
Moeder, Ma
Danish
Mor
Albanian
Nënë, Mëmë
Dutch
Moeder, Moer
Arabic
Ahm
Dzoratâi Mére
Aragones Mai Asturian Ma Aymara
Taica
Azeri
Ana
Basque
Ama
Belarusan Matka Bergamasco Màder Bolognese Mèder Bosnian Majka Brazilian Mãe Bresciano Madèr Breton
Mamm
Bulgarian Majka Byelorussian Macii Calabrese
Matre, Mamma
Caló
Bata, Dai
Catalan
Mare
Cebuano
Inahan, Nanay
Chechen Nana Croatian
Mati, Majka
Czech
Abatyse
English Mom
Mother, Mama,
Esperanto
Patrino, Panjo
Estonian Ema Faeroese Móðir Finnish
Äiti
Flemish
Moeder
French
Mère, Maman
Frisian
Emä, Kantaäiti,
Furlan
Mari
Galician Nai German Mutter Greek
Màna
Griko
Salentino, Mána
Hawaiian Makuahine Hindi
Ma, Maji
Hungarian
Anya, Fu
Icelandic Móðir Ilongo
Iloy, Nanay, Nay
Indonesian
Induk, Ibu, Biang,
Irish
Máthair
Italian
Madre, Mamma
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Japanese
Okaasan, Haha
Quechua Mama
Spanish Madre
Rapanui
Matu’a Vahine
Kannada Amma
Reggiano Mèdra
Kurdish
Kurmanji
Romagnolo Mèder
Ladino
Uma
Romanian
Latin
Mater
Romansh Mamma
Mama, Maica
Leonese Mai
Russian
Mat’
Ligurian Maire
Saami
Eadni
Limburgian
Moder, Mojer,
Samoan Tina
Lingala
Mama
Sardinian Mama
Lithuanian Motina
Serbian
Majka
Lombardo
Shona
Amai
Lunfardo Vieja
Sicilian
Matri
Macedonian Majka
Slovak
Mama, Matka
Malagasy Reny
Slovenian Máti
Malay
Emak
Spanish
Madre, Mamá,
Maltese
Omm
Swahili
Mzazi, Mzaa
Mantuan Madar
Swedish
Mamma, Mor,
Maori
Swiss German Mueter
Occidentale
Ewe, Haakui
Mapunzugun Ñuke, Ñuque
Telegu
Marathi
Triestino Mare
Aayi
Amma
Mongolian `eh
Turkish
Mudnés
Turkmen Eje
Medra, mama
Anne, Ana, Valide
Neapolitan Mamma
Ukrainian Mati
Norwegian Madre
Urdu
Occitan
Maire
Valencian Mare
Old Greek
Mytyr
Venetian Mare
Ammee
Parmigiano Mädra
Viestano Mamm’
Persian
Vietnamese me
Madr, Maman
Piemontese Mare
Wallon
Mére
Polish
Welsh
Mam
Portuguese Mãe
Yiddish
Muter
Punjabi
Zeneize
Moæ
Matka, Mama Mai, Mataji, Pabo
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Everyone in the Bible failed because of 1 of 4 reasons. Remember these 4 principles. by Carl Townsend
1. “H” stands for Hunger. Are you too hungry for something? What are you hungry for? A. Materials things. Something you can’t afford but go in debt for. B. Another person. Are you trying too hard to develop or start a new relationship? C. Is something driving you because you are jealous or too envious? D. Stop trying to keep up with the Joneses. 2. “A” stands for Anger. What causes you to have anger? Get rid of it. A. A person. B. An unhappy situation C. Bitterness of over unresolved issue. D. You let others get to you and intimidate you. E. You’re always irritable.
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3. “L” stands for loneliness. Are you a lonely person? A. People feel loneliness because they don’t have Christ in their life. B. How many relationship mistakes occur because someone was alone? C. Get involved with others. Don’t let yourself be a loner. 4. “T” stands for tiredness. When you’re worn out it’s easy to make mistakes A. Working all day then going home to take care of a family is tough. Get rest. B. Treat yourself to some down time. C. When you’re really tired you get stressed out. Know when you have had too much.
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Encouragement & Greatness
by Gary Sullivan
F
irst of all I would like to thank each of you for your contribution to OUR company. We are blessed to work for a company where we can profess our faith and pray. I can't think of many places that allow that. We should not take that freedom for granted. I have, like many of you , had my share of ups and downs in life and it seems like the downs have more of an impact than the ups. We learn when things don't go the way we want them that we should change the way we live so that we can enjoy all our loving God has for us. Is it easy? NO. lt takes a heartfelt attitude of change. After all the definition of insanity is "doing the same things over and over and expecting different results." With that being said, please permit me to give some simple practical ways of "changing for the better."
In 4 areas of my life I try my best to live the following way:
I. Think GREAT thoughts. Colossians 3:2 says "Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth." Do not dwell on the problem; dwell on solutions. -14-
2. Read GREAT books. Read, study and enjoy God's Word. It truly is the bread of life. Read other books that are inspirational and uplifting. 3. Listen to GREAT music. It will stir your spirit a nd produce a wealth of emotional va lue. 4. Surround yourself with GREAT people. This does not necessarily mean famous or rich people but people of like mind (the mind of Christ). People that are encouraging and care about your spiritual being not just your earthly vessel. Your “old " friends can still be your friends but develop relationships with people that truly carc about YOU and not what you can do or give them. Last but certainly not least---PRAY! Pray that God will grant you courage and wisdom every day that you may face the t rials of each day. Pray that you wi ll make a positive difference in someone’s life each day. Thank Him for loving and saving you.. After all. prayer docs not change God (He is unchangeable)but it certainly will change you! -15-
Happy Birthday! Alondrae J. Lofgren
5/12/86
Andrea Urbina 5/7/94 Arielle Bielicki 5/25/84 Ashley Young 5/29/88 Barrett Molina 5/26/77 Christopher Underwood 5/11/88 Danyiel Jones 5/23/91 Randy Leftwich III 5/8/92 Sarah B. Irby 5/18/81 Sheldon Farrington 5/23/94 Warren Moore 5/25/61 Zach Williams 5/12/88 -16-
Congratulations! Employee Anniversaries
Jane E. Rising
5/20/10
Lakeshia Washington
5/6/13
Martha L. Collins
5/25/12
Nyakinyua Kariuki
5/21/07
Sarah B. Irby
5/18/81
Sarah Oulds 5/8/13 Shannett Hilton
5/13/13
Solieh G. Kpadeh
5/21/13
Veronica L. Nowlin
5/21/13 -17-
Mexican Chicken Casserole Ingredients: 1/2 Cup Chopped Green Peppers 1/2 Cup chopped Onions 2 Tbsp. Margarine 2 C. Cooked chicken, cubed 1 can cream of mushroom soup (I use Cream of Chicken) 16 oz. Can tomatoes (I use the ones with Jalapeno Peppers in them) 1.4 c. picante sauce 1 tsp. Chili pepper 10 flour tortilla, quartered Sharp cheddar cheese, shredded Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Saute peppers & onions in margarine in saucepan. Add next 5 ingredients. Mix well, heat over medium heat until warm. Place 10 pieces tortilla in bottom of 9� baking dish. Top with 1/4 sauce and cover with cheese. Repeat 3 times. Reserve top layer of cheese. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes. Top with remaining cheese. Return to oven until cheese is melted. In addition to the recipe, I also sometimes add layers of refried beans, Mexican corn, and I sometimes use cream of cheddar soup!
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ACROSS: 2. Married name of Beaver’s Mother: Cleaver 3. Mother Eve’s third son: Seth 5. Biblical Mother of Isaac: Sarah 7. Matriarch of the Kennedy family: Rose
-209. In the Bible, she was the Mother of Esau and Jacob: Rebecca 12. Name shared by a religious Mother and a pop-star-turned-Mother: Madonna 13. Mother of the Greek gods: Rhea
-21DOWN: 1. Last name of Gladys, the world’s most famous rock ‘n’ roll Mother: Presley 2. Superstar Mother to chastity and Elijah Blue: Cher 4. Mother in a Nursery Rhyme: Hubbard 6. Mother of Constantine the Great: Hel-
ena 8. Bamm-Bamm’s Mother: Betty 10. Mother of Fairytales: Goose 11. Author of “Mother Courage and Her Children” (1941): Brecht 12. Mother of Lord Jesus: Mary
Month of : April Outbound - Suzy Galvin Fla. Agent - Yessenia Monzon Agent Revenue - JoAnne Proehl BA of the month - Dean Pruitt Agent of the month: Rosemary Mendoza
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Prayer Requests Joseph Garcia & Family Comfort & Strength Edith Parrish & Family Comfort & Strength Gary Sullivan Healing Carl Townsend Healing Kathryn McCanna Mother Healing Sharaya Mitchell & sons Healing Jim Fitzpatricks wife Carolyn Healing Virginia Rickard Healing Shantae Beverly Healing Lysa Meeks Healthy Delivery Joan Tweedy’s brother in law Healing LaMeka DeBiase’s mom, Litricia Healing Thea Boston & Family Healing Krisitna Sweeney Healing Solieh Kpadeh Traveling Mercy Jessica Smith’s Aunt Healing Diane Thompson Healing Lakeisha Washington’s Mother Healing Nannette Baker’s Daughter Healing Jane Rising Healing Candice Saunder’s Uncle Healing Jeannine Campana’s Husband Healing Aisha Fuster Strength & Protection Ricky Alverez Brother Strength & Encouragement As always keep ISA, our families and our clients in your prayers.
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ISA Store Now serving coffee Drinks Coke, Diet Coke, Cherry Coke, Powerade, Mt. Dew, Fanta, Ginger Ale, Fruit Punch, 5-Hour Energy Shots, and more Food Hot Dogs, Popcorn, Coffee Cake, Muffins, Cookies, Candy Bars, Trail Mix, Chips, honey Buns, and more You can also find a number of specialty products, books, CDs and other items Don’t have cash? Not a problem. Put it on credit. The cost will simply come out of your next pay check!
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